Julia de Burgos was a Puerto Rican poet, teacher, and civil rights activist for women and African/Afro-Caribbean writers. She is also known for advocating for Puerto Rico’s independence.

Burgos was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and grew up in the barrio of Santa Cruz. She was the eldest of thirteen children. She achieved her teaching certificate at the University of Puerto Rico, then started her path as a teacher in Naranjito.

Burgos ended up quitting her job as a teacher and moved to New York. She wanted to spend more time on writing. She worked as a journalist and did successful writings. She became the editor for the progressive newspaper Pueblos Hispanos.

Julia de Burgos was mostly known for her poetry. Her poems have messages regarding feminism. Some poems also engage topics about social justice. She was an ambitious woman that used her writing as a way to fight against politics.

“I Was My Own Route”  is a quote from one of her beautiful poems. It abstracts the idea that she started from the bottom and paved her way to the top on her own. She used her writings as a way to fight for rights and inspire others to also do so.

Some of her best poetries are “Poemas exactos a mi misma” (1937), “Poema en veinte surcos” (1938), “Canción de la verdad sencilla” (1939), “Antologia poética” (1967), el mar y tu, and Canción amarga.

Many people were inspired by her poems. Burgos created a positive impact on the community through her writings. She proved to us that it doesn’t matter where you come from, what matters is how you try to accomplish your goals.

There are many paintings, statues, and murals dedicated to Julia de Burgos and her influence on Puerto Rico and Latin American culture in New York. There is a boulevard in East Harlem named after her showing how big of an impact she had on the community. There are also Julia de Burgos cultural centers that promote Puerto Rican and Latin American culture by holding festivals and parades. One is located in New York City, Lexington Ave. It seeks to enhance life quality in East Harlem.

“promote and enhance the quality of life in East Harlem.”

York, H. (2018, April 16). Impact of julia de burgos. Retrieved March 01, 2021.

Burgos was successful throughout her life. She won many literature awards from the University of Puerto Rico. She became such an inspiration for all of us. She died in Harlem, but her body was returned to Puerto Rico and buried there.

Works cited:

Julia de Burgos. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/julia-de-burgos

Gomez, Skyler. (2021, January 25). Julia de Burgos, Puerto rican Poet: Literaryladiesguide. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/author-biography/julia-deburgos/

York, H. (2018, April 16). Impact of julia de burgos. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/soto2018/2018/04/16/impact-of-julia-de-burgos/